Treasures

When someone dies -things change. We want things to remain the same but they don't. I remember feeling like we all moved up a notch or two when my Dad died in 1987. We seemed to move up in responsibility or something within our family. Could I could be hearing a spiritual conveyor belt that had us all moving closer to the end... movin' on down the line! [chugga-chugga-chugga]

My daughter Kim and her husband Tony are new to the grieving process with this close death in the family. Closing the book on someones life is hard. Preparation of the eulogy. Things we don't ever want to think about, but someone has to do it in the end.

Who gets what? What did she want you to have? Property left behind is now all up for grabs. One thing Kim mentioned that stands out in my mind when they returned to their Grandmother's home after the hospital. "All her things, they are nothing now. They were so important to her before death. There they were in the house... but they are nothing without her." This is all sad. Our treasures on Earth, after death they become nothing to us, and trouble for others.

There is a teaching that we should not lay up treasures on Earth, we should lay up treasures in Heaven. How do we lay up treasures in Heaven? We can't see them, yet there is a way to put treasures in Heaven. Someday, our treasures will be evident, earthly or heavenly. Where our treasures are, there is our heart. A big reminder to me that I need to learn how to build treasures in Heaven so that my heart longs to be there. This is something good to meditate on.

There was, once upon a time, a grand wedding coordinated by a King. The invited guests were not willing to come ---even after being coaxed. After dealing dreadfully with those self-important guests, the King said, "Go out into the highways, invite all that you see to my feast." So out they went. Many came, the good and the bad. The King walked in to see the guests and when he saw someone without a wedding garment on he went over and He asked him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?" His reply was inadequate, in fact he was speechless.

The King called for His bouncers to tie him up and then carry this person out and throw him into outter darkness. How do we put on a wedding garment so that we are not thrown out of the wedding feast? What is a wedding garment? This is another thing we should meditate on and study to know before death.

I am rambling with these thought provoking stories that are found in the Gospel of Matthew today. Questions that many have asked after Death has stopped by so close to home. -----Home?

Hand Walkers

Well, I finally did the big switcheroo on this Blogger. I like it so far!

I wanted to mention today the NOVA program that will be on tonight on PBS! It looks so very interesting. "Family That Walks On All Fours." It will be interesting to see what the thoughts are on this. Click on the picture or this LINK to watch a preview.

I agree with Geneticist Sean Carroll's suggestion that this problem is related to a "very serious defect in their cerebellum, and they are compensating for that balance problem by walking with the aid of their hands." I definitely don't agree that it's due to resurfacing "ancient genes for quadrupedal-ism" that Turkish scientist Uner Tan suggested. Read more about it at PBS. This looks like it will be an interesting program.

Our Grandchildren are working on living without their Great-Gramma Lela, and especially Tony and Kim. They are remembering all the happy, funny stories about Lela. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts of them. AJ, the youngest of them has announced to his Mom and family, "There will be no more crying, everyone will be happy now." Today, Tony received a letter from his Grandfather in Pennsylvania, he wrote to send a picture of his wife, Tony's other Grandmother who also died this year. While looking at the picture Tony sadly said, "I lost both of my Grandmother's in one year." AJ quickly said, "OH WELL!"

How about that, Juneau was shut down due to snowfall!

Fairbanks

Marcy said, "Fairbanks is not for woo-ses." I said, "I am a woos!"

My definition for woos is: a pansy. My definition for a pansy is: a woos.

Someone that just can't take much of that below zero cold, that's me. So why do I live in Alaska? I was born here. I was not born up here though I was born in the Southern, balmy, village of Old Harbor on Kodiak Island. Dad used to say, "We found you on the beach, tangled up in the kelp."

This past weekend I decided to tag along with the Alaska Freedom Band up to Fairbanks to take part in the Fairbanks Native Church service. It was a blessing to be with that group of Christian's. Thanks Dave and Marcy for inviting the guys!

Some in the band were talking about having the stomache flu recently and now, we (Doug and I) are exposed to that bug so we have been washing our hands, I have even been limiting my intake of food----just in case I get that horrible bug!

Playing keep away with the flu bugs might be a hopeless cause but I am doing all that I can to make sure those bugs don't feel welcome here!

While we drove home from Fairbanks last night we encountered some snow and had a few scary moments trying to see after those big ol' semi-trucks flew on past us. The snow they blew all around totally obstructed our view and that was too scary. I was so thankful to get out of all that safely! All part of living in Alaska.

My Son-in-law's Grandmother Lela is in intensive care today and I am sad for their whole family. We are praying for you all, Kim and Tony, Lexie, Ashlee and AJ, may God be a comfort and strength to all of you whatever the outcome will be for her.

Kimmie just called me and my Grandchildren's dear Great-Gramma Lela just passed away. She was a kind woman and will be missed a lot by her family, especially by my grandchildren. Please pray for them. Kim and Tony spoke of her as being a strong and stubborn woman. She was a lifelong smoker and finally was able to successfully quit a few years ago but had continuing bad health related to that which just kept zapping her strength in the end.

I will miss Lela even though I did not know her much more than seeing her occasionally ---because of the Grandchildren we had in common and we both love. She always accepted our family as her own through Tony and Kim. May God bless all of her remaining family.

Helping Hearts with FBCO's

My family is back home and it's good. I miss them when they are gone, even though silence sometimes is very golden, silence sometimes can grow so loud it drowns out all the happiness it brought right at the beginning and then it just turns into loneliness. Happily so, for my husband likes me to miss him when he goes away. (Picture:Lexie, Ashlee, Calvin, Tucker, AJ & in front Gunner.)

Faith-Based and Community Initiatives or Faith-based and community organizations (FBCO). My knowledge of this program is very vague so I wanted to learn more about it today. I heard it mentioned during the Presidential Press Conference today. I have attended a FBCO conference that was a result of Faith-Based funds to Southcentral Alaska's - Family Wellness Warrior's Initiative.

Faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) have a long tradition of helping Americans in need and together represent an integral part of our nation’s social service network. Yet, all too often, the Federal government has put in place complicated rules and regulations preventing FBCOs from competing for funds on an equal footing with other organizations. President Bush believes that besides being inherently unfair, such an approach can waste tax-payer dollars and cut off the poor from successful programs. Federal funds should be awarded to the most effective organizations—whether public or private, large or small, faith-based or secular—and all must be allowed to compete on a level playing field.

"Beauty for Ashes" - was created, in part, through the heart desire of Linda Ross (who has already publicly shared her own personal struggles) to help other sexually abused women. BFA is a program designed to address the results that domestic violence, rape, spousal abuse, child abuse and other abuses create in the hearts and lives of so many Alaskan people. Hidden abuses that have wounded hearts, causing many to live long lives hiding in the shadows of those hurts. Shadows that have darkened every aspect of life and many times left untreated gets passed down to their own families.

Women and men were helped during these sessions though, sadly so, the power of evil permeates even those missions and organizations that were created to prevent abuse. A reminder to us all, that none of us are ever immune to falling into the enticements of the evil one. He is a crafty adversary and our bodies, so weak.

The FBCO program makes it easier than it has been in the past for not only secular programs but even private and religious organizations to receive government funding in order to run community social services, such as Beauty For Ashes. It is a good thing, President Bush.

Alan and Linda Ross began a similar program in Kodiak designed to help women, men and children to overcome the power of wounded hearts. It has an Alutiiq name (I cannot even pronounce): "Unguwatet Asiyturtut - "Hearts Going Towards Wellness." That is a beautiful name. Read more of it at Alan's blog.

I am watching Alaska According To Marie's blog for pictures from the trip to Kodiak and words about their visit with Alan and Linda Ross and the others at Kodiak Native New Life.

From this end and listening to their stories, "Destination" enjoyed the people, the meetings and the singing!

God bless Kodiak!

A Quote I Found:
Speech may sometimes do harm; but so may silence and a worse harm at that. No insult ever caused so deep a wound as a tenderness expected and withheld; and no spoken indiscretion was ever so bitterly regretted as the word that one did not speak. As read in Apples of Gold, Wings of Silver, Treasures of Silver - Jo Petty